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Freedom
"Freedom" is the seventh chapter of Wayside School is Falling Down. Synopsis Myron seeks freedom in the basement. Plot This chapter begins with Myron crumbling a cracker on the windowsill to attract a bird named Oddly. He briefly turns away, as Oddly only comes if no one is looking. Myron watches Oddly out of the corner of his eye, and Kathy asks if his dumb bird has returned. Myron, however, remarks it isn't 'his' bird, as Oddly is free. Kathy thinks Myron is a birdbrain. Myron watches Oddly fly away, making him feel sad and glad, because although Oddly is gone, he is still free. However, Myron realizes he isn't free, and worries that Oddly thinks his desk is a cage. Quickly, Myron gets out of his desk and sits on the floor. Mrs. Jewls makes Myron get back in his seat, making him very upset. He feels like his desk is a cage, and he hates having to get out of his seat and go downstairs every time the bell rings, and go upstairs whenever it rings again. After the bell rings a few more times, Myron refuses to go with the flow, and instead goes into the basement. Myron worries about what could be in the basement. He worries that he may see dead rats living down there, or maybe even Mrs. Gorf, whom even after her demise in "Mrs. Gorf," the kids still worried may have been around the school. In the basement, Myron can't see anything. He stumbles around for a moment until he finds a pipe that feels like it's covered with a thousand spider webs. Myron follows the pipe, but gradually hears some footsteps. He stops, and the footsteps stop a second later. He starts walking again, and hears the footsteps, stopping again a few seconds later. Myron is well aware he isn't alone. He darts away from the pipe, causing the unknown figures to follow him, until he stops, in which they stop again. He throws his sneaker into the distance, causing the footsteps to follow that. He takes off his other shoe and throws it in the same direction, but it never hits the ground. The footsteps once again continue after Myron, and Myron tries to sprint away only to slip on a puddle of goo and fall over. He tries to hold his breath and be as quiet as possible. A light turns on above him, revealing a bald man and two men with mustaches, one of which held a black attaché case. They ask for Myron's name, and he gives it, only to regret not coming up with a fake name. The man with the attaché case opens his case and takes out a notebook, in which he sees Myron should be in his desk in front of Sharie in Mrs. Jewls's class. The other man with a mustache asks what Myron is doing out of his cage, but he quickly corrects himself to say seat. Myron remarks he just wants to be free, and he'll never return to the basement again if he can get that. The bald man asks Myron if he wants to be free or safe, because he can't have it both ways. Myron is confused, but the men decide to explain. If Myron chooses to be safe, he'll have to sit in his desk every day, go to Wayside School five days a week, go to bed at the same time every day, but not until after he brushes his teeth. He won't be able to watch TV until after he finishes his homework, and will have to go inside whenever it rains, but not until he wipes his feet. He can do that, or he can be free. Myron says he wants to be free. He signs a paper he can't read, because it's written in an unknown language, and the men tell him he's free. They wish him good luck, give him his left sneaker, turn off the light, and walk away. Myron, unsure where he is, tries to find the pipe again. Eventually he finds a pipe, but isn't sure if it's the same one, but walks alongside it anyway just to be safe. When he's about to give up hope, he trips over the stair to the first story, and walks upstairs. In Mrs. Jewls's class, Mrs. Jewls scolds Myron for being late, and tells him to write his name on the DISCIPLINE list and return to his seat for an arithmetic test. Myron, however, doesn't feel like writing his name on the board or taking a test, so he sits on the floor next to his seat and there is nothing Mrs. Jewls can do about it. That afternoon in the teacher's lounge, Mrs. Jewls finds Myron's right sneaker in the refrigerator of the teachers' lounge. Characters *Myron *Oddly (debut) *Kathy *Mrs. Jewls *Mrs. Gorf (mentioned) *The men with the attaché case *Sharie (mentioned) Trivia *In later chapters, such as "Pencils" and "Valooosh," Myron is seen utilizing his newfound freedom to get out of certain assignments and attend other classes. *Oddly returns in "Kathy and D.J." *The shoe being found in the refrigerator at the end of the chapter is a reference to "Homework." *This is the second appearance of the men with the attaché case, and their only appearance in Wayside School is Falling Down. Gallery Freedom 1989.jpg|Joel Schick illustration Freedom 2003.jpg|Adam McCauley illustration Foreign editions Freedom Illustration.jpg|Peter Allen illustration (UK) Freedom Kitamura.png|Satoshi Kitamura illustration (Japan) Category:Wayside School is Falling Down chapters Category:Book chapters